What happened after
by WolfGod19
Summary: My take on what happened between the end of the book and the epilogue. A new threat, a new adventure. But, still a continuation and not a seperate story. Rated T in case I add things in later chapters. Canon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : The Prophecy

Ginny barely looked up as Ron and Hermoine entered the great hall. Only when they sat down did she look at them. They were a yellowish-pale, making them look very ill, and their faces were sunken in and hollow. They also looked considerably underweight. Their skin bore marks from the battle and, Ginny supposed their year away.

"Where's Harry?" Asked her mother in a weary voice.

"Gone to bed" answered Hermoine, just as wearily.

"So" said Ginny quietly, "care to tell us where you've been for the past year? What you've been doing?" several of the Weasleys looked up at this, wanting an answer. Hermoine looked down into her lap.

"Well..." Started Ron nervously "It isn't really our place to tell you..."

"Whose place is it then?" asked Ginny, in the same dangerously quiet voice. "You were all there weren't you?"

"Well, yeah. But, Harry sort of led it."

"So your not going to tell us what you were doing while we were here getting tortured and protesting against Snape."

"It hasn't been a walk in the park you know. We all nearly died a few times." Ron said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh no, I'm sure it wasn't easy, but while you slept comfortably in your beds with very little to worry about, we've been having nightmares about being tortured and who's going to be the first killed."

"At least you slept" snarled Ron "besides, who else is going to destroy Voldemort? Harry's the Chosen One, he had to do it."

"Right, of course, it's so obvious now. You had to have a year away in hiding before you could kill him. You had to make us suffer didn't you" Ginny retorted.

"You don't even know what a horcrux is! And last year, only four people knew about Voldemort's horcruxes, and one of them died." Bill's head snapped up from the table.

"What did you say?" He asked. Hermoine glared at Ron.

"What did you say that for? Harry's going to kill us." She snapped.

"Bill what's a horcrux?" Asked Mrs. Weasley sharply. All the Weasleys looked unnerved, Bill rarely worried about anything, but now he looked white and pale and, frankly quite sick.

"Bill, don't tell them, I'll be in enough trouble as it is." Pleaded Ron.

"You said 'horcruxes'. How many?" He demanded. Ron gulped.

"Six" A tremor, like a quake of fear, ran through Bill's body.

"Seven, actually." Said a voice from behind Ron.

"Seven" Exclaimed Hermoine at the same time Ron said,

"Look, Harry I..."

"It's all right Ron, I owe you all a full explanation anyway" He addressed the Weasleys.

"I thought you were sleeping." Remarked Mrs. Weasley as Harry pulled of his Invisibility Cloak.

"I, er...well I….erm…...I couldn't sleep." He finished lamely.

"Right." Said Mrs. Weasley, eyeing him closely. He looked worse than Ron and Hermoine. Blood and sweat clung to his greyish skin. His unusually messy hair was matted with dirt and grime. His clothes were torn and dirty and one of his fingers looked broken. His bare arms were torn with deep gashes and scrapes. His face was sunken and hollow and his nose looked slightly crooked. But his eyes were the most disturbing, devoid of their usual bright colour, they had a distant look that never left them. The top of a nasty purple bruise showed above the neck of his T-shirt.

"Care to explain what a Horcrux is?" Asked Ginny, throwing Harry a look that was as a mixture of pity and disappointment.

"A horcrux..." Started Bill "a horcrux is the darkest magic I know of. It involves hiding a part of your soul in something or someone else. This magic is so dark that you must murder to create a horcrux." Most of the Weasleys paled.

"So you've been hunting these down for the past year?" Asked Mrs. Weasley, concern evident on her face. Ron nodded. "But, these horcruxes must be heavily protected." Ron nodded again.

"And, he had..."

"Seven of them yes."

"What were they?"

"His diary, a ring of his grandfathers, Slytherins locket, Hufflepuffs cup, Ravenclaws diadem, his snake Nagini and… well we'll leave the last one for another time."

"The lost diadem of Ravenclaw?" Asked Charlie.

"Not so lost" Said Harry, "It's been in Hogwarts for a few years."

"Hogwarts?"

"Room of requirement."

"What's the last Horcrux?" Asked Ron tentatively.

"Well… I… "Harry was too busy watching Hermoine with her brains at work. Slowly eyes turned to Hermoine. Oblivious to everybody's stares, she sat deep in thought. Harry slowly got up.

"I'm going to bed." He said, "Tired." The Weasleys looked at him suspiciously, but let him leave. Not long after, Hermoine came to.

"Harry…" She breathed "Where is he?"

"Bed" replied Charlie "Why?"

Hermoine shook her head

"He wouldn't want to sleep I should think." She said.

"Why?" Asked Ron, Hermoine shook her head again.

"I'll tell you later" And with that she took off out of the Great Hall.

"I thought Harry was going to tell us everything." Said Ginny.

"It's Harry" Replied Ron.

'Where's he gone?' thought Hermoine 'The tree, the tree by the lake, he likes it there' and sure enough, she found Harry sitting under the tree cross-legged and facing the other direction.

"What was the last horcrux Harry?" She asked quietly, sitting beside him.

"You know" Said Harry gloomily.

"That doesn't mean it wouldn't help to tell me." She said.

"I was" He said finally, "What will they think of me?"

"Nothing different, Harry. You're their family, they support you." She answered.

"They can put two and two together, Hermoine. They'll know that I attacked Mr. Weasley, I possessed Ginny, I murdered thousands of people."

"That wasn't you, Harry. You're not a bad person. Just because Voldemort dragged you into his mind, doesn't mean you and him are the same person. He's dead, you're alive."

"Hermoine, it was me. I did attack Mr. Weasley, for example. I'll be looked at with fear if I tell them Hermoine. I don't want that." She sighed and leant her head on his shoulder.

"Alright, I'll buy you some time. But only if you tell them everything, from your first year to now."

"Why?"

"They're important."

"Okay." Hermoine got to her feet and pulled Harry up.

"Let's get you to bed." She said hugging him. He stifled a yawn. "I saw that." He laughed.

"Your getting as bad as Mrs. Weasley." He said.

"It's having to keep you two boys alive over the past year." She quipped smiling. "It does that to you." Then she left, dragging Harry behind her to the boy's dorm in Griffindor Tower.

Harry woke with a start to a painful rap on the head and a sharp ache in his chest.

"Ronald" said a female voice. "What did I say about waking him?"

"Nothing" Grunted a male voice in reply, "you just said not to." Hermoine sighed.

"You're hopeless."

"Mmmm" Ron murmured by way of agreement. Harry reached for his glasses and put them on.

He opened his eyes to see Hermoine on tiptoe, kissing Ron firmly on the lips.

"Hem hem" he said in his best Umbridge impression. Ron and Hermoine sprang apart, blushing furiously. "That is not what I want to wake up to in the morning." Continued Harry, grinning.

"Go back to sleep then" Said Ron grumpily. Harry snorted,

"Kreacher" he called. _Crack_. Kreacher apparated in.

"Master called?"

"Yes Kreacher. Could you bring me some clean clothes please?"

"As master wishes."

"Oh, and Kreacher, you fought very well and bravely yesterday. Thank you. Also, I would like to apologise for leaving Grimmauld Place so suddenly. We let a Death Eater into the wards you see."

"Kreacher understands, Master. They tried to make Kreacher tell them where Master is. But, Kreacher was having none of it. Kreacher came here to Hogwarts to help Mistress Weasley."

"Thank you again, Kreacher. After you've brought me some clothes you may rest." Kreacher bowed low and left. "Acceptable?" Harry asked Hermoine slyly.

"Better than most," She answered seriously "'Mistress Weasley'?" Harry shrugged.

Kreacher returned and left, leaving behind some clothes.

"We'll leave you in peace." Said Hermoine, dragging Ron out by the hand. Harry showered and changed, entering the common room relatively clean. The Weasleys and Hermoine were gathered around the common room looking solemn, some with tears streaming down their faces. It was dark outside but the clock said four. 'four in the morning' Harry thought. Looking round at the sombre group, Harry remembered with a jolt who had caused their loss. Harry felt rather uncomfortable. He looked straight ahead, and walked out of the room. On his way out he felt the bleary eyed glares of the Weasley children against the back of his head. He walked along the familiar corridors strewn with rubble. Parts of the wall littered the floor like islands in an archipelago, blood splattered the floor, walls and – Harry shuddered to think how it got there – the ceiling. Half an Acromantula leg protruded from under a large section of the wall, and Harry swore he saw a severed human hand in one of the classrooms. When he reached the Entrance Hall there was pandemonium. People were screaming and people were trying to touch him anywhere they could. Finally he heard a shout and someone began pushing their way through the crowd. Professor McGonagall emerged from the crowd of people, slightly ruffled, but dignified none the less.

"Professor" Harry said gratefully "Is there anything I can do to help with the repairs?"

"Start from the hospital and work your way from there. Anything you cannot repair is to be brought to the great hall. Understood?"

"Yes, professor." Said Harry and he left. The work was soothing for Harry, the constant rhythm of picking up and depositing items got rid of his worries. That is, until he went for lunch in the Great Hall. As Harry sat down and began to eat, Professor McGonagall stood up from the teachers table and walked forward, gravely. Silence fell.

"I would like to thank those who fought from Hogwarts," She said "And those not from Hogwarts. We suffered great losses. 52 lives were laid down for our protection, and many more lay injured - both mentally and physically. Minister." There was applause, then Kingsley – Interim Minister for Magic – stood.

"I would also like to thank those who fought. But, I have another announcement to make. Tomorrow morning, we will have a service to honour the dead. While I'm here, I would like to ask Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger to speak at the ceremony. I also invite a family member of each of the dead to go up on stage to collect the fallen's award and, if they so wish, say a few words. Thank you." There was applause.

"He only asked in front of everyone because he knows that then we can't refuse." Protested Harry.

"What are we going to say?" moaned Ron.

"Just thank everyone," Said Hermoine "Anyway, what could the award Kingsley's giving the dead be?"

"I'm going for a walk." said Harry "I'm not hungry." he added at Mrs. Weasleys protesting glares. Harry got up and walked quickly out of the castle, picking his way through the rubble. Eventually, he came to Dumbledore's tomb. Slowly, he sat letting his tears finally fall free, where they ran down his face and leapt of his cheek, waging war against the ground soaked with blood, never again to spill. His tears of made of sorrow, of joy, of longing. Made of need, of want, of hopes. The images o pain, of death, and of suffering. Made of happiness, of relief, and of victory. Thoughts of anger, of madness, and of love. Love.

"I wish you were here," Harry whispered towards the body of Dumbledore. "You'd make everything right again. You always did." Yet, still Harry cried. The years he had spent in the cupboard under the stairs was a different lifetime, a different dimension, a different reality. Yet it wasn't. Harry's new life was beginning yet it was already gone. _I open at a close._ Familiar words. I begin at the end. This was Harry's life now. The beginning at the end of Voldemort's life. Before Harry was even born, he was destined to defeat Voldemort. Him or Neville. In the end it had taken both. Harry thought about the losses it had taken to get here, now. His parents, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Dobby, Fred, Mad eye, Ginny. Ginny. Still there, still alive. But not the same now. Lost. Broken. Hurt. Gone. Like a leaf in the wind. Harry could still hear Fawkes' song before he left. The song of lament. A very appropriate song. A true reflection of how Harry felt now. How he would always feel. Mourning, grieving. Harry's tears continued to flow, though they were beginning to dry up now, and Fawkes' song began to get louder. Harry looked up surprised. The unmistakable flaming feathers of a phoenix circled Harry overhead, watching over him. Gradually, the majestic bird circled to rest atop Dumbledores tomb.

"Fawkes?"Asked Harry in disbelief. The phoenix dipped it's head and disappeared in a burst of flame. Harry looked down, suddenly downcast again. Like that disappearance of the only living thing that may have understood Harry, had his candle of hope. But then Fawkes returned, with a package and a letter. Eager, Harry took the letter from Fawkes warm grasp and opened it.

Dear Harry,

If you are reading this then I must congratulate you. For I must admit, the task I left you was not easy and I had my doubts. Harry, we both lost our family's, so I always thought we had each other. I understand that I had Aberforth and you had the Weasleys, but I still came to think fondly of you. You always showed the bravery and the courage that I lacked, and have now gone on to defeat one of the most evil, yet greatest, wizards in history.

Anyway, think of this letter as a thank you, yet a warning. I have one last piece of advice for you. Be the first to see S. Trelawney on the second night after Voldemorts death at 5pm. Make sure you're alone. She will make another prophecy, pay heed to her warnings.

Also, I suspect you will need a little more skill for your new task, so I gave Fawkes my 'Diary of Magic', which I made through my life. It will teach you skills others would die for. But beware Harry, skill comes at a price.

Kind regards,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledores

A.P.W.B.D

P.S. Fawkes has taken a great liking to you and wishes to belong to you.

By the end of the letter, Harry was in tears again. This letter revealed the raw side of Dumbledore, but also the Dumbledore Harry knew. He looked at the watch given to him for his seventeenth birthday, 4:54pm. He smiled at Fawkes then said,

"Where's Trelawney?" Fawkes flew to Harry's shoulder and Harry felt a pleasant warmth flood through his body. He stood in silence for a few, long minutes. Then, at exactly five o'clock, he felt a burning sensation where Fawkes sat on his shoulder, which quickly erupted through his body. As quickly as it came, it went. Harry now stood in Professor Trelawney's tower, devoid of the familiar senses. A hand gripped his shoulder, spinning him round. Trelawney stared at him with vacant eyes. She began to speak in a hoarse voice,

"Those most faithful to the Dark Lord will strike where the Dark Lord failed.

When they succeed, they will rule over a place of learning with absolute control should history fail to repeat itself.

History from when the Dark Lord was but a memory.

The Saviours first year.

A New Lord shall rise.

Protect the Saviour, the one whose love does not differ from that of the Chosen One."

Harry stepped away from her and Fawkes' warmth spread through him. Harry blinked. When he opened his eyes he was at Dumbledores broken tomb again. But, Trelawney's words still rang through his ears. When would this end?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : For the Greater Good

Harry sighed. It was morning the next day, the day of the ceremony, and Harry was trying hard to avoid everyone. This wasn't too difficult as he had his Invisibility cloak and no one was looking for him particularly, but wanting to stay hidden didn't mean not wanting to relax. Harry hadn't written a speech, he was going to make it up on the spot Hermoine had tried, of course, to make him write one. Harry sighed again. 'Defeating Voldemort doesn't make life much easier' Harry thought. Hermoine was, right now, writing a speech for herself and Ron. But Harry wanted to think about what Trelawney had said. The Saviour. Not him, thank Merlin, but who? 'Those most faithful to the Dark Lord will strike where the Dark Lord failed' Where was that? Hogwarts? Or perhaps he was looking at it the wrong way. Perhaps they were coming for him. Voldemort had failed to kill him, twice. Yes, they were coming for him. That made sense, he had ridden the world of their master after all. 'When they succeed, they will rule rule over a place of learning with absolute control' That had to be Hogwarts. 'should history fail to repeat itself' What history? 'History from when the Dark Lord was but a memory' Voldemort had only recently become a memory, hadn't he? Except, no… surely not. Tom Riddle, he was just a memory in the Chamber of Secrets. 'In the Saviours first year' First year alive or first year at Hogwarts? It could be Ginny, or Neville, or Luna. 'A New Lord shall rise' Good or bad? Harry assumed that meant a Death Eater would take over Voldemorts place as leader. 'Protect the Saviour, the one whose love does not differ from that of the Chosen One' To Harry, this sentence was most interesting. The 'love' does not differ in strength or person? It could be Ginny. Ginny.

Harry's head shot up, it was Ginny. It made sense, she was going back to Hogwarts in September. Hogwarts is where the Death Eaters would strike. Ginny was in the Chamber of Secrets with Harry that night. Harry loved her, so she must have – or still does, Harry's heart leapt – loved him. But if the Death Eaters would have absolute control, how would she get rid of them? Two answers came to Harry immediately. Either Harry would save Hogwarts because he loved Ginny or Harry would hide Ginny in the Chamber, so she could come out later. But, how would they get in, Voldemort was dead. Harry could no longer speak Parseltongue, surely. Harry tried, he imagined a snake in front of him and spoke.

"_Open"_ Harry stopped still, it had come out as a hiss. Voldemort was still alive. "He can't be." Said Harry aloud "There's a body this time, he's dead" There was no answer. When will this end?

(I need to make a space so I'm filling the gap with this)

Kingsley stood on the stage behind the rows of coffins. He was saying something about how war can be avoided, and how people create war. About how, though impressive, wizards are human and cannot rule everything. He was talking about how hatred leads to corruption. He was talking a lot. But no one was listening. Hermoine went up and thanked everyone for their fights and sacrifices. She went on to talk about how in their past year, Harry, Ron and herself had been working to destroy Voldemort and how they had not really expected to accomplish such a thing. Then Ron went up and told the audience how there is good and evil in everyone, about how we can learn to control our evil. He went on to talk about how Voldemort had started out as a school boy just the same as all of us, and began to give in to his want and desires, creating the evil being we new. Ron talked about how power can corrupt the most humble of people, then he finished off by thanking everyone. The audience listened to Ron and Hermoine half-heartedly but politely. However their real prize was up next, Harry new that people wanted him to talk, as their comfort, their beacon of hope.

Knowing this did not help Harry's nerves as he walked on stage, his heart beat loud enough for those around him to hear. He looked out over the audience, feeling no comfort that, should he mess up his speech or give the wrong advice, people would do as he said even if it was wrong.

"I didn't prepare a speech tonight. For the greatest things, the things that mean the most, come from the heart. So, for those who can still hear me I say; do not despair, for the misery that is now upon us is with the passing of greed. The bitterness of men who fear the way of power and progress. The hateful men will pass, and dictators die. And the power they took from the people, will return to the people. So, so long as men die, liberty shall never perish.

"Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, evil men with cold minds and cold hearts. You are not evil, you are not murderers. You are men. You the people have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Let us use that power, let us all unite." He stopped for effect and there was applause.

"This war has not ended, it will never end. The war against hate is a war never won, never lost. But I tell you, right now we are winning, and just because we cannot win, does not mean we should not try. We should not repeat history, we should let it repeat itself. If needs must, we will alter the whims of fate to triumph over those who hate us, but we will not under any circumstance stoop to their level. We will not kill. We will refrain from torture. We will repeat the things that must be done. When Hogwarts is taken from us by evil, one day in the future. We will fight. We will not give up and hide in the darkest chambers. But, we will not think ourselves cowardly to hide until the time is right" He said with a meaningful glance at Ginny. There was more applause.

"I think all of us here have seen the Dark Mark, the mark of death. But as of yet, there is no mark of hope, of love. Well I have made one. A mark that in times of need in fighting in the battles to come, when you need a little help, a little hope, you will set this mark and someone will come to you. They will come and give you hope, they will teach you never to give up. I will teach this mark to you, and you will teach it to your children, and they will teach it to their children and so on. So forever more there will be a good mark floating in the sky. A mark to rival that of the Dark Mark. The wording is as follows: _Auxilium_

"A good friend taught me to expect the unexpected, to never give up and keep expecting what may never happen. So to finish my speech I give you one more phrase to keep in mind; Constant Vigilance." Harry raised his hands and Fawkes swooped down from his hiding place, behind a nearby tree. There were mutters as Fawkes drew closer. The moment he touched Harry there was a blinding flash and all that was left where Harry had been standing a moment before was the flaming imprint of a Pheonix and a Dove swooping around in the air together.

**Authors note: **I know it's a shorter chapter but I can't have long chapters all the time. I think having chapters as long as the first will be a rare occurrence. At the beginning of the speech I use 'men' I mean mankind and I don't want to be accused of being sexist. Please tell me how I can improve in the reviews. This is my first Fanfic so I need some advice. You might be wondering why the chapter title is 'for the greater good'. Well you'll find out next chapter (It's not a big part of the story I just need a chapter title that sounds intriguing). Next chapter might be a little longer in coming. See ya!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Returning home

Harry slumped, defeated, against the wall. This was it, he could no longer continue because his exhaustion had won. Harry had spent the last three days making the Chamber of Secrets remotely habitable, but it still wasn't an ideal place to live. On the other hand, the people down here would only be awake a few minutes of the time they were in the chamber. Other than him that was. Still, Harry didn't want them breathing in the toxic smell of a rotting Basilisk which, even after all these years, had only half decayed. The tough skin hanging limply on the 40 foot long skeleton smelt strongly of death, thus a constant and smelly reminder of the recent war.

Harry used the last of his already depleted strength to stand up, he didn't want cramp at the moment. Fawkes came and sat on his shoulder, his favourite place to be, already knowing what was wanted of him. As he prepared himself to return to the main building, he thought about how to answer the questions that would, unquestionably, be asked. He had already decided that he wouldn't answer a question about his speech or his whereabouts during the past week. He wanted to have an easy, relaxed, untroubled holiday. That of course, would never happen. But that did not mean he should not try. Harry liked to think his speech had been influential, not only on others, but on himself. Clearly he had a lot to learn.

()()()

Ginny wanted to hate Harry. She truly did. He breaks up with her, disappears for a year, comes back only to leave again. She _really_ wanted to hate him. But it was so hard. Everything about him was as perfect as humanly possible. If it weren't for his damn nobility, she might be with him now.

'_Ginny' _ she scolded herself _'you're brother is dead, and all you can think about is Harry. What sort of sister are you?'_ She looked round at the crowded living room of the Burrow. Her home felt strange, alien to her – like it was no longer her home. After they arrived, they had had a _lot_ of cleaning to do. Aside from being abandoned in a hurry and left for months, the Death Eaters had ransacked the place. Ginny hated them too. At the moment, Ginny hated most of the world. They had taken away her brother, and her boyfriend. _'No. My ex-boyfriend, and he's not gone.' _But he was close to gone. Him and his stupid nobility would blame himself for the deaths of others. He would destroy himself.

But why would she care? She hated him… But as hard as she tried she couldn't help but love him. _'You're straying again Ginny. Think about poor Fred.'_ Thinking about was Fred too painful, Harry was a welcome distraction. But where was he. Her parents, being their kind and loving selves, had left a message at Hogwarts that Harry should come straight to the burrow, should he return to the school. She remembered his leaving after his speech, the phoenix taking him away. She had thought it was Fawkes, but it couldn't be. He left after Dumbledore died. When Ginny wasn't thinking about Harry, and wanted a distraction from Fred, she'd thought about Harry's speech, what did it mean? He had looked at her pointedly, even Ron noticed that. He wanted her to do something, but what? After Harry left, Hermoine seemed to catch onto something and made the Weasleys promise not to question Harry when, if ever, he returned. Hermoine, though she understood more than everyone else, still didn't know what Harry was trying to say.

The front door opened and closed. She sighed, that was her dad, home early from work. That meant it was time to make dinner. This was always the routine, they'd get up, make breakfast – taking it in turns to cook, her dad and Percy would go to work, Ginny and the rest of her brothers would spend the day lounging around, mourning in silence, her dad would come home with Percy, they would all help in making dinner and then they would go to bed. For her mother, the routine was to spend the day in bed, refusing to eat and crying in silence. This was what happened to a broken family.

She got up, steeling herself for the tiresome evening. Slowly, she trudged out of the room to greet her father. However, after she got to the door, and was in the middle of saying 'hi dad', she did a double take. For standing there, was not her dad, but Harry.

"Can I come in?" He asked quietly, almost shy.

"Y...yes." She stuttered, still shocked that Harry had returned. She moved aside to let him in.

"I'm sorry" He said as he moved past her. She just nodded. Suddenly, even after thinking only of him for days, she didn't want to even look at him. He just went up the stairs.

"You can settle in Ron's room." She called after him. She got no reply, but she heard the stairs creaking in response. She sighed, this would be a long holiday if she wanted to avoid Harry all the time, and even longer if he wouldn't speak to her. She settled down again to wait for her father to come home. Life was crawling by.

**Authors Note: **I was told – very wisely – not to apologise for short chapters, but in this case I will. I realized it was too long since I had updated so I threw together this chapter. If it's not up to whatever my usual standard is, then I'm sorry. I was advised to make the opening paragraph shorter so I've tried to do that in this chapter, please tell me if it's still too long. Again, please review and give me advice. Next chapter will not be so long in coming – I hope.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Days of mourning

Harry awoke with a start. The nightmares had begun. Harry hadn't had them yet, he had been too tired to have any kind of dream. Already, he had forgotten the subject of this particular nightmare, but in a few short days he would remember every second of each one. Harry sat up and pushed his back against the cold steel railings of the bed to stop himself from falling asleep again. He sighed, it was early in the morning and still dark, but Harry felt awake now, alert. He got up, slowly edging off the bed, his muscles cramped. He crept out of the room after dressing, careful not to wake Ron, and walked down the stairs. Their creaking sounded like thunder on a calm summers night. He eased open the back door and walked into the calm garden. With him was the book of Dumbledore's. He hadn't opened it yet, he'd used the teacher's knowledge to come up with _'__Auxilium'_. He opened it to the first page and looked at it. It was blank around the edges, but in the centre a short paragraph in neat lettering read.

'_Haec est magia mea commentarius,  
Sit tibi bese uti,  
Sunt enim in secreta senis iuvenibus,  
Praeterita vero,  
Magicae, quae exstruendo impedimentum fuit.  
Fundamentum veritatis nostrae legendas,  
Revelare vires sine fine,  
Uti hoc quoque,  
Nam maius bonum.'_

Harry flicked over the page, then stopped. It was blank. And the next one was, and the next one, and the next one. He turned back to the first page and tried to read the paragraph, letting the syllables roll on his tongue. Suddenly his voice changed, reading the paragraph perfectly at a chant, getting faster with each line. He couldn't control it, if he tried to stop he just spoke faster until, eventually, his mouth fell silent and his tongue lay still, aching from the workout. Harry flicked over the page again confused. He started, his mouth falling open comically. The pages were now full with the neat handwriting he'd seen on the front page. He turned back to the front page, only to see that the paragraph in the middle had shifted up the page to make room for a new paragraph lower down. This paragraph, which could only be the translation, read:

'_This is my diary of magic,_

_May you use it well, _

_For within are secrets of old and young,_

_The truth of our past, _

_In which magic prospered._

_The base truth of our legends,_

_Reveal powers limitless,_

_Use it well, _

_For the greater good.'_

Harry read it, marveling at the power the words held. Although, he _was_ nearly sick at the last line.

"How can a word hold power?" Harry said aloud, not really meaning to. Almost in answer, the pages began to flick back and forth, as though a breeze was turning the pages for him. Eventually, the pages came to rest, but the text didn't stop. It was dancing across the page, not showing any signs of stopping. The text was flitting across the pages too fast to read, but after a while it came to stop. Harry looked down to see an entire two pages titled 'Words of Power'. Intrigued, he began to read.

()()()()()

Ron sighed, waking had always been an issue for him. Now, Hermoine had woken him and was asking him something. He couldn't hear. All he wanted was five more minutes, just five, in his warm, cosy, comfortable bed. Hermoine shook him again.

"Where's Harry?" Ron heard, muffled, from her mouth. Those lips. So… well… kissable. He smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" She cried, clearer now. "Harry's missing."

"I'm sure he's not far," He replied, awake now. "He's probably sitting around somewhere, enjoying the peace and quiet."

"How can you be so calm? There are Death Eaters still about you know."

"Hermoine, calm down. There are more wards around this place than there are hairs on your head. Harry will be safe as long as he doesn't stray outside the boundaries. He has enough sense not to. He'll be fine. Now if your satisfied, can I sleep some more?" Hermoine nodded, smiled, then crept in beside Ron. Ron, tried not to grin. To be honest, he was awake now, he probably wouldn't have slept anyway. Still, he wasn't complaining. A few hours with Hermoine at his side would heal his wounds significantly.

()()()()()

Ginny resisted a smile. She was surprised she could smile at all any more. The family's laughter had died with Fred. Still, he would have had a kick out of this. Hermoine and Ron trying to squeeze on to the same single bed. To be fair, they'd done alright. It was just as well they had thinned out the past year. Ron still had a muscly build, but he wasn't as big as he was. He was never big mind, not fat anyway. Hermoine had barely changed, there wasn't much fat you could knock off her before, now there was none. She looked very small and fragile next to Ron. Ginny did smile this time.

Anyway, she'd come to wake them up for breakfast. She woke Ron first, he always takes ages to wake up properly. Some days he never did. Fred wouldn't wake up again. She stopped, only tapping Ron's arm once before she thought of Fred. Her stomach had brushed Hermoine's arm in leaning over as well. Her hesitation appeared to be her downfall. She shrieked as she found herself thrown over the bed and pressed in the corner between the bed and the wall. Her arm was twisted behind her back and a hand was at her throat. She looked over her shoulder to see Hermoine, already stood beside the bed, wand pointed at Ginny's heart.

"What in Merlins beard are you doing?" Ginny cried. "I'm no threat"

"Jesus, Ginny don't scare us like that again."Hermoine exclaimed, clutching her heart. The arm holding Ginny's arm to her back relaxed, and the hand on her throat retracted.

"Sorry Ginny," Ron said softly, "We've had a tough time this year."

"B...Breakfast's ready." Ginny mumbled, in shock, and she retreated from the room. "Merlin, a tough time you say" She mumbled under her breath, on the way down the stairs. Maybe should should try to talk to Harry? Find out what happened, help him. Even if she was annoyed with him, he would need help from someone. The Harry she knew would blame himself for every death, injury and life ruined on the planet from the war.

**Author's Note: ** Here's another one. The romance has begun. As ever, please give me tips to improve and review.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The tale of turmoil

He woke, yet again, to the same dream. The feeling of dread that filled him when he thought of it nearly made him sick. The dream, which he'd had four nights in a row, consisted of Harry being surrounded by the dead. Then, very slowly, they moved closer. One step at a time. Until they began to suffocate him. This was when he woke up normally.

Sometimes, he could hear himself shouting in his sleep, as if he were outside his body. He could still hear and see his nightmare, but he could also hear himself. This caused him to place charms such as '_muffliato' _on Bill's door. He'd moved to Bill's room a couple of days after he came. Bill went to Shell Cottage each night with Fleur, returning in the morning. The whole family was in turmoil. The death of poor Fred…All Harry's fault.

Harry got up. His muscles screaming in protest, his bones aching from his year away. The number of bruises and cuts that still refused to heal was to large to bother trying to count. He had long since given up hope of a quick recovery, and had confined himself to effortless activities to speed up the process - not that anyone was likely to do anything active anyway, in the state the Weasley family was in, Harry was surprised that anyone even ate.

Harry got up, dressed and left the house, not eating anything. He didn't meet anyone along the way but heard muffled sobs behind various doors. The entire family had returned for the upcoming funeral and weren't planning on leaving for a long time. They all, of course, were mainly there for their mother's peace of mind. had rallied them into the house and kept them under strict rules not to leave the grounds unless permitted, Harry and Hermoine included.

Harry walked down to the end of the garden into the copse of trees, inside which the Quidditch pitch was hidden. He came across the pond at the edge of the boundaries and sat facing away from the house, overlooking the beautiful Devon countryside. The trees behind him whispered to each other in a language long forgotten by humans. Sheep shouted at each other in a field nearby, while their lambs chased each other causing the grass to part before them, bowing their stalks and clashing with their neighbours. Seeing this sight caused Harry to momentarily forget there had been a war. Looking at this, no one would think that fifty-two deaths had been caused because of an eighteen boy.

Harry paused, stirring from his blissful absence from reality. He knew, somewhere deep down, that he couldn't have helped those people. Not really, but something in Harry said it was his fault. That he could have done better, been quicker.

A small warm hand, touched his shoulder. Harry stiffened, bracing himself to an attack. Then he turned. The shock of the sight of her rendered him speechless. Ginny. Her red eyes were puffy from crying but she was still beautiful. Harry came to, trying frantically to form an apology in his mind before she could leave again, but nothing came to him. She removed her hand causing Harry to panic, but she sat down next to him, making him speechless yet again.

"I'm sorry" She said. Harry moved his lips but couldn't speak, this was getting tiring. Only she had the power to do this, to stop his heart, to make it race. To take the words from his mouth and lock them in a box far from his reach.

"You shouldn't be apologising." Harry finally managed. "I should."

"Really?" She asked, "I'm sorry for being so selfish, I just wanted to know what happened over the past year. You seemed hurt much deeper than this bruise." She continued, gently placing her palm on his chest. "I wanted to know who and what could and had done that to you." She whispered, hand still on Harry's chest, rising and falling with his breathing.

"Voldemort" Harry answered simply. "I will tell you what happened, but not now. I'll tell you all. Everything. Hermoine wants me to start from the beginning, the real beginning. Getting my Hogwarts letter, going to Hogwarts." Harry had, in fact, been preparing the first memories. Taking the highlights and most important details from his first year. He'd asked to borrow the pensive from Professor McGonagall and was to pick it up from Hogwarts in a few days.

"What about _you_ Harry? Are you really alright, like you keep telling my family? You seem so subdued." Harry froze, he'd told no one of his nightmares, but who better to tell than Ginny? Is there anyone he would trust more.

"I've had a few nightmares," He replied hesitantly, but seeing the suspicion on her face, added "Nothing too bad though. What about you?"

"I miss him" She answered instantly, she looked down and Harry was horrified to see tears running down her face. "That's why I'm up so early. I can't stand it Harry. No one is themselves, there's no one I can turn to who hasn't been affected, there's no one to hide behind." Shyly, Harry put his arm around her shoulder and held her. She relaxed slightly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"You can turn to me." He murmured in her ear.

That night, Harry woke with a different nightmare. In this one, Ginny had been killed by Voldemort in an attempt to coax Harry out of hiding. He had woken from this nightmare covered in sweat and tangled in his bed covers.

Harry got up, and went downstairs. As, he passed the living room door he heard the all too familiar sound of someone crying. Cautiously, he opened the door to find hunched over what looked to be a photo album. Fearing the worst, he entered the room. The photo's were of what could only be, the younger twins. Harry quietly sat down beside the woman who had taken him in, regardless of the danger. looked at him, seemingly unsurprised by his presence.

"Do you ever wonder Harry, whether it hurts to die?" She asked him tearfully. Harry looked down, remembering asking a similar question.

"I don't think it would" He replied, "As quick and as easy as falling asleep" he added in a whisper. Surprisingly, she heard him.

"How would you know Harry? If you were dead, I mean. Do you think you would float around unseen, unheard in this world. Like a dead ghost." Harry shrugged,

"Perhaps someone tells you." He said. "But, I don't think you would be in this world."

"I'm sorry." Said , coming to herself slightly. "I shouldn't have said anything. You shouldn't have ever thought about dying either, your too young." Harry shook his head slightly, if only she knew. Well, she would soon enough. He got up to leave, but paused at the door.

"Don't pity the dead mum, pity the living and all that have to suffer." He quoted. "Good night." He left a thoughtful and shocked parent behind, to the peace of her own mind. She deserved the title he'd given her, of everyone alive, she deserved it most.

**Authors note:** I'm going to leave the story line for a bit and going to focus more on the continuation side of things. You may notice, and get annoyed, that I haven't dealt with all of the issues at the end of the war (like Snape's body in the shrieking shack, which by the way, Harry told Prof. McGonagall about and she dealt with it). I used to be annoyed too. Except, when your writing the story, it's easy to forget things. So, if you wish to know something that I missed, please tell me and I'll mention it, either in the story or Authors note.

Also, I would like to apologise for the extended period of time without an update, I have been very busy recently with English exams and various other tests. This however, is just an excuse, I've been reading a great book series ('Stormlight archive' by Brandon Sanderson, highly recommend to the epic fantasy lovers out there) and haven't felt like writing in ages. Sorry. Next chapter, Ginny's

POV.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: That which you can't have

It was quiet when Ginny woke. The unnerving silence of night crept through the house like a mist. For the first time since her family had returned to the burrow, everyone slept. She wasn't sure what had brought it about, but she suspected that it was something to do with the exhaustion that had taken over the house. No one tossed in their sleep, no one made a sound. Except one. On the floor below hers, someone muffled their cries. She knew who that was, he'd done it for day's now, charming the room to keep in sound. Clearly his attempt to keep his nightmares secret didn't work so well at night, when he was asleep.

Sighing, Ginny got up and grabbed her wand. Creeping out of her room, where Hermoine supposedly should sleep, and down the stairs, she came to a halt outside Harry's bedroom door. She paused, unsure of whether or not to enter, she didn't know what kind of state he was in. Was he decent? But really, did she care? Taking a deep breath she entered the room, instantly the screams hit her. She hastily stepped into the room and shut the door behind her, casting new layers of spells to keep the sound in. Slowly, she walked up to the side of Harry's bed, where he was thrashing around, trying hard to get something that wasn't there.

Ginny reached over him, remembering from past experience not to so much as brush him, and firmly took his hand in hers. She shuddered when imagining the sorts of things he would have had to go through to have such bad nightmares.

"It's alright Harry," She whispered gently in his ear. "It's alright." His convulsions slowed and he shifted in his sleep to face her. Quietly, worried about waking him in his already fragile sleep, she shuffled herself down to lie beside him. She lay with her arms wrapped around him until sleep took her and wrapped her in the sheets of dreams.

Ginny awoke to the soft murmurings in her ear, she turned, smiling to herself, to see Harry's eyes fluttering gently and he drifted in and out of sleep. The incomprehensible mutterings sounded to be words of comfort, to himself or her, she did not know. She leaned in gently to place a soft kiss on his half-parted lips, grinning mischievously when his eyes shot open in shock.

"Good morning" She said quietly against his cheek. Harry still seemed confused as he removed the arm that he had flung over her protectively at some point that night. Ginny immediately missed the warmth of his body against hers, as he rolled away somewhat.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked sleepily, groaning as he stretched his arms above his head, managing somehow to hit his hand forcefully against the wall behind the bed.

"You were screaming to wake the dead last night Harry, something you would like to tell me about?" She took his hand and placed it under head for support, seeing as she did so a look of fear and shock flash across his face before he could regain composure.

"Just another meaningless nightmare," He mumbled, not meeting her eye. "If you had any brain in that head of yours, you would get out of here before your mum wakes up."

"Trying to get rid of me are you?" Ginny asked slyly, seeing guilt flash across his face "She doesn't leave her room much any more anyway." she added getting out of the bed, and noting with no small amount of satisfaction, that Harry was gaping at how little she had worn that night. Harry followed suite, blushing a pleasant shade of pink when he got up.

It wasn't long before she was sitting at the kitchen table wondering if she could be bothered to make breakfast. Harry came down only a few minutes after her, and sat down beside her.

"Aren't you supposed to be hating me instead of….well..comforting me?" He asked flatly.

"Probably," She replied, leaning her head on his shoulder. "It's quite hard though, especially when someone needs to comfort those 'meaningless nightmares'" The guilt returned to his face and he turned to search her eyes. Ginny forced down an unbidden blush when she felt his eyes on her face.

"I dreamed that Voldemort had you." He said suddenly, clearly struggling internally at the memories. "And you can imagine the rest of it, the torture, the toying, then the...kill." He shuddered and looked away, embarrassed.

"Voldemorts dead," She said, not unkindly. "He can't kill anyone else." He nodded.

"I know" He said, "but it still hurts, the memories, the way he used people to get to me." Ginny took his head in her hands, forcing him to look at her. His breathing grew heavier in anticipation, his eyes flickering from hers to her lips and back again.

"Listen to me Harry," She commanded, as his eyes met his own "He won't touch another person again. He's dead." He looked away.

"Not directly no." He said, before deciding he'd said too much and kissing her gently. Ginny gasped, having forgotten what this was like, and leaned closer…

"Ahem" Ron barged his way into the kitchen, "Any breakfast." Then he noticed the scene. Harry got up guiltily and moved away.

"Not yet." Harry answered, almost too quiet to hear. Hermoine entered looking annoyed, sharing a knowing glance with Ginny before leading Ron away. It was too late, the moment was broken.

"Right then," Ginny said "breakfast."

Harry knew that some powerful wizards' spells remained after they died. Only the most powerful mind, the spells wizards put the most effort into. He told Hermoine as much. She nodded in agreement slightly proud he knew so much.

"So you see," Harry concluded. "I need the potion ready soon so I can hide it, temporarily mind, where no one can get to."

"Are you sure Harry? It'll be very dangerous."

"It's necessary" Harry assured her, still not fully knowing if it was worth it. "I told the world when I fought Voldemort, it needs to be done." He added, more to reassure himself than her. He turned, ready for breakfast. "Oh… and remember Hermoine, don't tell anyone." He heard her sigh as he left the room.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all of you that stuck around for me to update. I know it's been a while but I am trying to get back into the habit of writing more often so bear with me. As ever, please comment and suggest ways for me to improve. Next chapter may be about Ron/Hermoine, haven't decided yet.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The burden of duty

"_You can do whatever you wish, so long as you're willing to pay the price"_

"_Duty is heavier than a mountain, and as immovable as one"_

Hermoine added the last ingredient to Harry's requested potion with a heavy exhale. It was nearly done. Another few days and Harry would have his potion. She sighed again. Her mother had always said men taught women to sigh. Through the exasperation that comes from knowing a man, a woman would learn to sigh as surely as a baby learned to move their hands or feet.

She had come to believe that, having two male best friends had made her realise that her mother had been right. Still, it was mainly Ron who was the problem. It was as if he had forgotten that they had shared a kiss during the battle. To be fair though, he seemed to have forgotten everything since the battle. He wasn't the same since Fred's death. It was as if he had forgotten anyone else existed, especially her. Maybe she was being stupid and over thinking things, maybe he just had lost the will to carry on. _No, _she told herself, _don't think about that._

She left her room and went downstairs to continue to pretend to be occupied. That was all anybody really did now, the once lively household had become a place of solitary and mournful silence. To the think she had once begged her parents to come here because there were people to be with, people her age. _Don't think about __mum and dad __either! _She thought angrily, just as Ron came into the room. She tried to smile welcomingly, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Sit down." She commanded gently, patting the seat next to her. "You've been avoiding me" She knew from experience that jumping straight to the point was usually the best way to get a straight answer from Ron. He spluttered.

"I have not!" He replied glumly, knowing he was beaten.

"You have and you know it." She accused, "Why?"Ron tried to move, but Hermoine pinned him down. Despite being so much smaller that him, Ron was clearly reluctant to physically force her out of the way so he didn't struggle. _He's so predictable. _Hermoine thought, satisfied. Knowing it would make him more uncomfortable, she snuggled down practically on top of him.

"I don't… I don't think we should be together at the moment because of… because I should be focusing on other things." He told her, avoiding eye contact. Aaah, so it was Fred's death that caused him to hesitate, she should have been able to guess that. He clearly thought he should be mourning Fred not building a relationship with her.

"Surely," She started, she had to be careful here, it was a delicate topic, though the number one rule was don't mention Freds name unless you absolutely have to. "Surely now, of all times you need support. Surely you need someone to hold you together, someone to help you cope with what's going on." She continued, expressing it with a light kiss on the underside of his chin. He nodded thoughtfully, probably he hadn't even listened to that, which angered her somewhat.

"I suppose you're right," he said reluctantly, "but I feel bad about it all the same." Hermoine got up, annoyed.

"That's your problem I'm afraid." She said, half angrily and half in submission.

"Hermoine..." He started but she just left, sighing. Men!

Harry stepped out of the fireplace in the Headmasters… Headmistresses office and walked up to where he knew the pensieve was kept. Removing it he began to make his way back towards the fireplace but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"You weren't planning on leaving without saying 'Hello' were you Harry?" Said Professor McGonagall with a smile.

"Of… Of course not Professor." He spluttered.

"Good, because as it is I wish to tell you something." She started, and didn't wait to carry on either. "The school staff and members of the educational board have been meeting recently, trying to decide what to do about the lack of actual teaching for most student during the last year." She said, speaking at a tremendous pace. "A decision is yet to be reached on what will be done but the most likely scenario is the previous school year will be redone and we will just have an extra large first year group. This of course, means that you will have the option of redoing the year at Hogwarts you missed. I thought I should let you know even though Kingsley is in dire need of aurors for his workforce and is happy to take you on board even though you did not do your NEWT's."

"Thank you for telling me, professor," Harry said, still trying to take in what was said. "I shall have a think about it" He continued, turning to go.

"Potter," McGonagall said, "just one last thing. Your speech at the Memorial. Was such er… grandeur necessary?" Surprisingly, Harry felt himself grinning.

"No, professor." He replied, "Just fun." And he left, still smiling.

Ginny knew that deep down, she was still angry with Harry. But annoyingly, he seemed to have developed a way to stop her shouting at him just by looking at her. Of course, she had decided now that she wouldn't shout at him until he had recovered enough from his time away to not go into retreat. She was impatient though to learn what they had been doing on their year away that was so important they couldn't contact anyone. No, that was unfair, Tom wanted them dead. Voldemort wanted them dead. It was getting easier to say, though most people still weren't daring to say it. She put down the book she had been staring at and looked up as Hermoine entered the room.

"Do you know what he's up to?" She asked, quietly sitting and looking out the window.

"Who?" She replied, "Ron?"

"Harry," She said with a smile. "Ron's not quite clever enough to hide his plans from me." Ginny grinned wickedly, returning to her sombre mood only when she thought about what Harry might be up to.

"I don't know" She mumbled, staring thoughtfully at the cover of her book.

"He's requested I brew a powerful healing potion," Explained Hermoine, "and I was wondering what he might need it for." she stopped suddenly. "He also requested I speak to no one about it."

"Did he now." Ginny growled dangerously. "And what I wonder does he need to hide from me?… From us?" She corrected blushing slightly at her slip. Now that was something she just did not do, not for anyone. She forced the heat from her cheeks too late however, because Hermoine looked up and smiled knowingly.

"I _think_ he wants to hide the elder wand before someone tries to steal it." She said, "But I'm not certain, and seeing as he asked me about wizards enchants staying behind after their dead, I think he wants to hide it somewhere only 5 or 6 people know even exists. I think he wants to go back to the cave, where he was the night Dumbledore died."

"Enchants can stay after a wizard dies?" Ginny asked in disbelief. "I didn't think that was possible!" Hermoine sighed in that slightly condescending way, the type of sigh that precedes a Hermoine lecture. "But anyway," Ginny jumped in quickly, before Hermoine could start speaking. "Why would Harry hide the wand somewhere he knows can be breached?"

"Because so few people know how to get there." Hermoine said, seeming slightly offended at being cut off from her lecture. "And because none of those people have Dumbledores skill. In fact, only Harry, Ron and I of the people who knows it exists are magical! The others are probably dead by now anyway."

"So if something were to happen to Harry there… "

"… He'd be on his own." Hermoine finished

After dropping off the pensieve, Harry apparated to the rock outside Tom's cave. That's what he'd named it, Tom's cave. The place where he'd tortured his peers as a boy. Harry shivered, and not because of the cold. The sea was relatively mild on this visit, the waves only a few feet high. The crashing of the waves along the cliff was soothing today, as if the ocean new his fears of coming back here. It wasn't the dark, the cold or the numerous dead bodies that would try to drown him that had him scared. It was the memories, of coming here knowing his girlfriend was probably in imminent danger, that he could end up around a sea of dead bodies. Of Dumbledore.

He jumped into the water, still regretting not having learnt to swim properly as a child. Not that he had had much choice in the matter. Still, his instinct was enough to keep him afloat while the waves pushed him in, if a little roughly. Dragging himself up onto the rocks at the mouth of the cave he dried himself off with a spell. A simple matter really, just a case of transfiguring the water into air, though Dumbledore had done something different when he was here, something that warmed them up as well. Taking his wand he used a cutting curse to slice a small wound on his finger, enough to drip blood, and smeared it onto the rocks that felt the coldest. _A strange way of sensing magic_, Harry thought, _To feel colder. _But then, he supposed, there was no normal way to sense magic use. It was a strange concept unto itself. As the archway opened, Harry braced himself for the worst, Who knew what had happened during Toms last visit to the place? But it seemed things were normal.

Slowly he edged his way along the stone ledge, careful not to touch the water. Reaching a small gap in the rock face, Harry felt a chill course through his body. Reaching out gingerly, and being careful not to fall in, his hand came across something solid, something invisible. He gave it a tug, and nearly fell over in shock. The chain appeared in his hand, shooting up out of the water by itself, and, if Harry hadn't let go, it would have taken him with it into the rock face above him.

Harry smiled in a satisfied way as the boat came up out of the water and made its way to him. Gingerly easing his way down into the boat, Harry sat as the boat started it's slow passage through the water.

He could have taken Kreacher with him now, rather than calling him later, but for once, Harry didn't think Kreacher would listen. No matter what rules House elves lived by, Harry was certain Kreacher would tie him up and drink the potion himself. Hermoine would have a heart attack.

As the boat bumped against the island. Harry took a deep breath, after all, there was no guaranteeing that the potion Hermoine brewed would work against whatever ill this potion caused. There was no guaranteeing he would live to see another day, and, while he was no longer scared of death, he didn't quite want to die yet. He moved mechanically towards the bowl like rock structure that held what he needed to drink. He couldn't feel his heart hammering in his chest, his laboured breathing causing a burning in his lungs. For that matter, he could feel Fawkes presence somewhere in the recesses of his mind. After taking him from the chamber, Fawkes had flown off somewhere and hadn't returned since, but Harry could feel his emotions at the back of his mind. Fawkes presence was a reassuring one, at this moment in time his emotions tangled. But by no means was Fawkes afraid for Harry, he believed in him, and for that Harry was thankful.

Harry paused with the shell to his lips, what if he could just drop the wand in? He tried, taking the Elder wand from his pocket and gently placing it into the basin. It worked! Harry's relief lasted only a few moments though, because just as he was thinking he wouldn't have to suffer whatever the potions influence was, the basin erupted. The potion bubbled and fizzed until finally working up to geyser-like fountain which sent the wand flying. Thinking quickly, Harry summoned the Elder wand to him, stopping it just above the waters surface and sent it flying right to his hand.

Annoyed, Harry charmed the shell to constantly repeat the action of refilling itself from the basin and coming to Harry's lips.

As he drank the first shell full of the potion, he vaguely remembered hoping that he had enough conscious thought at the end of drinking the potion to call Kreacher to get him. That was before pain took him.

There was a scream somewhere at the front of the house. Ron had already drawn his wand and was out of his bedroom door before the scream had died in the persons throat. Running out of the front door he stopped stock still, shock having taken over his body at the sight before him. On the path up to the house stood Kreacher, struggling to move a body four or five times bigger than his own. Harry's body. Recovering quickly he was down the steps and had Harry in his arms before anyone else appeared he stumbled past the still shocked Ginny into the house. Hermoine poked her head out from the sitting room, took one look at Harry's limp form and disappeared up the stairs. Ron could remember a time when Harry was a scrawny boy who looked like he weighed less than a feather, even now he looked too thin, but he was considerably heavier than he had been. As Ron placed Harry down on the nearest armchair, his eyelids flickered open just a little.

"Water" He croaked. Kreacher complied by summoning a glass and filling it with water. Harry drank as clumsily as a child while Ron held the cup to his lips. Hermoine returned with a potion and she poured it into the rest of the water for Harry to drink.

Having finished it, Harry closed his eyes again. The fireplace flared as Ron's father stepped out.

"Ginny sent her patronus," He said. "What happened?"

"It's Harry," Hermoine said, indicating his slumped form. "He's hidden the Elder Wand."

**Author's Note: **Hello again! You would have thought that the current situation (Lock-down for anyone who isn't under the same restrictions.) would have made me upload more often. Well… it seems not. I promise I am trying though. As ever, please comment your thoughts on the story and suggest improvements and I will try to adapt accordingly. Thanks


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